POSTGAME REPORT

Avs Knew Flames Would Be a Challenge

The Avalanche knew Monday night’s game against Calgary wasn’t going to be easy.

Colorado was coming off three straight wins, had just pulled out an emotional victory Saturday against San Jose, and the Flames were 1-4-0 in their previous five games, with the four losses all coming consecutively at home.

But Calgary had played the Avs close in the teams’ two previous meetings this season, with Colorado winning 4-2 on Nov. 8 at Pepsi Center and 3-2 on Dec. 6 at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Mike Cammalleri put the Flames (15-21-6) on top for good with 3:30 remaining in the third period, when he threw a power-play one-timer past Avalanche netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

The Avalanche (26-12-4) was a man down after being called for having too many men on the ice with 4:54 left in the third. The substitution miscue was costly, and the Avs lost in regulation for this first time on this season-long, seven-game homestand.

POSTGAME VIDEO

POSTGAME NOTES & QUOTES

• Colorado suffered its first regulation loss at home since Dec. 10 vs. Phoenix, snapping a streak of seven straight home games with a point (5-0-2)…That was the club's longest streak without a regulation loss at home since Nov. 30 - Dec. 23, 2011 (8-0-0).

• Nathan MacKinnon recorded his second consecutive multi-goal game, as he also scored twice in Saturday’s victory over San Jose…He is the first NHL player to post back-to-back multi-goal games as an 18-year-old since Matt Duchene did it from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2009…MacKinnon on Saturday became the youngest player in franchise history to score twice in a game at 18 years, 125 days.

• Both of MacKinnon’s goals came on the power play, his team-leading sixth and seventh power-play goals of the season…He is the first Avalanche rookie to score two PPG in one game since Brandon Yip on Dec. 31, 2009 at Detroit.
MacKinnon’s seven PPG leads all rookies this year and are already the most by an Avalanche rookie since Duchene had 10 in 2009-10.

AVALANCHE TERRITORY

MORNING REPORT

Avs Pleased, Not Content Entering Second Half

The Avalanche will face the Flames tonight (7 p.m. MT; Altitude) on the heels a 4-3 victory against San Jose on Saturday that was about as emotional of a hockey game as you’ll see

Colorado broke out to a 4-0 lead against the Sharks, including scoring three goals in a 1:06 span in the second period. The Sharks then pulled within 4-2 later in the period with two goals scored 1:36 apart.

The second period also featured fights and plenty of physical play, and the teams combined to take nine second-period penalties.

It was a hard-fought win, to be sure.

"That's fun hockey right there," Jamie McGinn said Saturday. "It was intense. The crowd was into it; seemed like they were enjoying themselves, and we feed off of it. That's hockey. We have to play in those types of games sometimes, and I thought the boys rose to the challenge."

The Avalanche’s challenge tonight will be to continue the momentum of that win and not just let that victory be a blip on the radar. With the season’s second half beginning tonight, Colorado (26-11-4) has a chance here to use Saturday’s win as a jumping-off point to a second 41-game run to mirror its first 41.

PREGAME VIDEOS

PREGAME PODCAST

GAME NOTES

The Avalanche and Flames meet for the third and final time this season. Colorado is 2-0-0 against Calgary this season, winning 4-2 on Nov. 8 at Pepsi Center and 3-2 on Dec. 6 at Scotiabank Saddledome. This is the first season since the Avs relocated from Quebec that the Avs and Flames are not division rivals.

• The Avs are 2-0 versus the Flames this season, 1-0 at home.
• All-time, the Avalanche/Nordiques are 62-65-21 versus the Flames, 51-43-9 since moving to Denver.
• Cory Sarich spent six seasons with the Flames, while Alex Tanguay played a total of five seasons for Calgary.
• J.S. Giguere spent parts of two seasons with the Flames.
• Ryan Wilson originally signed with Calgary as a non-drafted free agent.
• Paul Stastny has 43 points (18g/25a) in 39 games against the Flames, his highest scoring total versus any opponent.
• T.J. Galiardi and David Jones were both drafted by Colorado and began their NHL careers with the Avalanche.
• Shane O'Brien played two seasons for the Avs.
• Bob Hartley served as the Avalanche's head coach for four-plus seasons, while Jacques Cloutier was an assistant for 13 years.

GAME PREVIEW

Avalanche Homestand Enters Second WeekSunday, 01.05.2014 / 9:31 PM

FLAMES (14-21-6) at AVALANCHE (26-11-4)

TV: Altitude, Sportsnet West

Last 10: Calgary 2-6-2; Colorado 5-2-3

Season series: This is the final game between the Flames and Avalanche. The Avs have won each of the previous two, the most recent coming Dec. 6, 2013 at Scotiabank Saddledome, when Colorado edged Calgary 3-2.

Big story: With its 4-3 win Saturday against San Jose the Avalanche tied Colorado's 2000-01 team for the most wins through 41 games in franchise history. It's in the midst of a seven-game homestand and will shoot Monday night for a fourth straight win against a Flames team that hasn't won in regulation in more than a month, a span of 14 games.